Jordan’s pandemic strategy ‘a model’ for health crisis response, says Hawari

AMMAN — Thanks to the development of Jordan’s healthcare sector, the country has “waged a war on the COVID-19 pandemic which transformed the Kingdom’s medical policy into a “well-constructed” model for health crisis response, Health Minister Feras Hawari said on Tuesday.

During the opening session of a workshop by the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), affiliated with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Hawari said that the Kingdom focused its efforts building a national response plan during the pandemic. 

The national response plan comprehensively considered a recovery plan, the stability of the healthcare system, training sector personnel, and enhancing partnership with the private health sector, Hawari added.

He also congratulated GOARN for the launch of a new strategy, noting that the plan comes at a “critical stage” that prompts the world to “seriously reconsider” improving healthcare systems and improving epidemic containment and response.  

Hawari praised the role of the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) for its contribution to national efforts to combat the pandemic and for hosting the event in the Kingdom.

The conference is being held in Jordan Monday through Wednesday, and features the participation of more than 70 international experts discussing GOARN’s strategy, according to a Health Ministry statement.

Established in 2000, GOARN is a specialised international network, said Muhannad Nsour, EMPHNET Executive Director and Vice Chairman of the GOARN Steering Committee. 

The opening ceremony was attended by Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (virtually), Jamela Al Raiby, the WHO representative to Jordan and Gail Carson, Chair of the GOARN Steering Committee.